


The Miko and the Kitsune

by Timballisto



Series: The Ninth Life [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Clan, F/M, Feudal AU, Feudal Era, Historical Fantasy AU, ItaHina, Kitsune, Miko - Freeform, Multi, NaruSaku - Freeform, Samurai, demon, priestess - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-14
Updated: 2012-12-14
Packaged: 2017-11-21 02:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/592357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timballisto/pseuds/Timballisto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The many reincarnations of Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. AU/Plotbunnies. Mostly Sakura and Naruto-centric.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>"Answer the question!" Fugaku yelled. "I'd like to know the name of my opponent before I strike his head from his body!"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Keh. You? Kill me? Do you have any idea how out of your league I am? I'll going to make your life a living hell." The voice chuckled again, now lighthearted. "Don't you know its bad form to attract the attentions of a kitsune? I hear they enjoy mischief- and fire."</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Miko and the Kitsune

"It is my honor to open the ceremony in which Lord Uchiha Itachi and Lady Hyuuga Hinata will be united in marriage." A pair of stern, hawkish clear eyes stared out at parties assembled in Konoha Castle's private reception hall. Hyuuga Neji's face was solemn and deliberate- aware of the many high profile, powerful people who'd come to witness the treaty that would finally stop the feuding between the warring Hyuuga and Uchiha.

A pleasant breeze floated through the sliding doors, the garden resplendent in the pastels of spring clashing against a brilliant blue sky. Two priests, dressed in white robes and tall, black, ceremonial caps slowly paraded through the ceremony until they reached an alcove at the front of the hall. There, they knelt, touching their heads to the ground before the shrine that nestled comfortably in the small niche. The traditional offerings of rice cakes and consecrated sake lay innocuously on the small altar. Two maidens, wearing the traditional hooded robes of Konoha shrine attendants swept into the room, taking up a dignified stance by the kneeling priests, their faces impassive and serene.

On the tatami mats to the left of the alcove knelt the bride's father and closest relations: cold, impassive Lord Hyuuga Hiashi, the High Chamberlain, along with his nephew and heir, Neji. To the right, the groom's party consisted of Lord Uchiha Fugaku, the Shogun's Most Important Investigator of Events and his wife Lady Mikoto and youngest son, Sasuke. All eyes were turned to the front of the hall, intent on the couple that was the center of the ceremony.

Itachi and Hinata sat before two small black tables, he wearing traditional black Uchiha garb, stamped with his crest, with his two swords at his waist: she in a white silk kimono and drape that completely covered her face and hair. Both were stiff, faces staring rigidly forward. The hall was silent.

One of the priests broke the quiet, swishing a long wand tasseled with _sade_ , white paper strips made to chase out evil and purify the room, chanting under his breath. The second priest played a series of high pitched notes on a bamboo flute, while the first set the wand down and thumped out an accompanying rhythm on a wooden drum. Then, abruptly, the music ceased.

The company held its breath; now came the most sacred part of the wedding ritual, an omen to foretell if the wedding would be prosperous and fruitful… or just another failed attempt at peace in a long line of failures.

One attendant poured the consecrated sake from the shrine into a long handled brass ladle and brought it to the small tables and set it on the one directly in front of the bride. The other maiden carefully set a tray containing a small wooden cup on the lacquered table before the groom. From the ladle, the attendants carefully filled the small cup, bowed, and stepped back.

Fugaku's hands clenched and unclenched, a muscle in his temple twitching. His face was serene, but his body was as tense as taut wire. Prudence tempered his fury- there were too many powerful people in this room to lose face with if he exploded as he wished. The kami knew that if he had his way, this pathetic farce of a treaty would never go through. His black eyes narrowed, his nose wrinkling slightly in disgust. Every Uchiha knew that the only way to peace was if the Hyuuga were eradicated- it was only at the order of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Shogun of Konoha that the two feuding clans grudgingly accepted a ceasefire. Fugaku's mouth pursed, looking at Hiashi out of the corner of his eye. He was gratified to see that Hiashi looked just as pleased about the ceasefire as he was- at least their hatred of each other was something they had in common. Sniffing disdainfully, he turned his attention back to the ceremony.

Hinata, her face still concealed by the white headdress lifted the sake cup to her lips and drank. She repeated this three times and then passed the cup back to the attendant who refilled it and gave it to Itachi, who took his own three swallows.

The entire congregation visibly relaxed. The _san-ku-do_ , the "three-times –three-sips" pledge that sealed the marriage was done. The attendant set aside the cup and bowed as the drum and flute music resumed. The Uchiha and Hyuuga were now joined in a marital alliance, the start of a new chapter in Konoha history-

"Demons!" The shout drew the attention of the combined Uchiha and Hyuuga parties, their heads whipping around to stare at the flailing Hyuuga Hanabi, the sister of the bride, as she stood to her feet and slapped at her smoldering robes, shrieking as the strange, unnatural blue flames licked at her oiled hair. Sasuke Uchiha was the closest, and he quickly moved to beat the flames out- only to somehow set himself ablaze as well. "Demons!" Hanabi shrieked again, and chaos broke out among the wedding guests as they pushed past each other in their haste to get out of the room. Silk ripped as men and women alike scrambled to run in their cumbersome ceremonial robes, not bothering to check their stride as they stressed the seams that kept their expensive clothes together.

Fugaku and Hiashi stood their ground, however, as well as the newly wedded couple standing together behind them. The men had their katana drawn, light flashing against the blades as they looked around uneasily- though Itachi's face was as calm and impassive as ever. Hinata, though without a blade, seemed to be fingering something tucked into her obi and it didn't take a magistrate to figure out it had to be a blade of some kind.

A loud chuckle filled the silence, echoing from everywhere and nowhere. "My, my…" the voice said. Definitely male and definitely human. "I'm honored. The legendary leaders of the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans, drawing their swords against little ol' me? Really, I'm flattered."

"Show yourself!" Hiashi barked, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade.

"Tch. You're no fun." The voice sounded legitimately disappointed. "All of you samurai in one place, fighting to protect the lovely Lady Hyuuga from the big, bad demon? It's like one of Jiraiya-sama's kabuki plays!" the voice laughed again.

"Why are you here?" Itachi asked, his voice flat. "What do you want?"

"Oh?" the voice was insulted now. "Well, that was rude. All I want to do is congratulate you on your marriage! "

"What are you called?" Fugaku sneered. "If the demons who spawned you even bothered to give you a name."

The air went still, the slight breeze that had been blowing through the room stilling. The air felt heady with power, the demon youkai thicker than water. "You'll regret that, Uchiha." The voice said. It was serious, quiet. "I don't take kindly to people maligning the gods." Fugaku went a little stiff, the hand clenching his blade tightening. "This was just child's play, a little harmless chaos. No one was humiliated; no one was hurt, the wedding still happened. It could have been a lot worse. For example, I could have lit your greasy head on fire. I suppose your wife could continue to endure you, but between your personality and the fact she'd have to shut her eyes and try not to smell you, I don't think romance would be immediate in your future-"

"Silence!" Fugaku bellowed, slashing at one of the paper screens that enclosed the audience hall, forgetting his fear as anger overpowered him.

"What is your name?" Hinata spoke up for the first time, her voice muffled by the veil that obscured her face. "Please?"

"Hmph." The voice mumbled. "Hyuuga can be polite? I guess Kami left some room for improvement."

"Answer the question!" Fugaku yelled. "I'd like to know the name of my opponent before I strike his head from his body!"

"Keh. You? Kill me? Do you have any idea how out of your league I am? I'll going to make your life a living hell." The voice chuckled again, now lighthearted. "Don't you know its bad form to attract the attentions of a kitsune? I hear they enjoy mischief- and fire."

The air suddenly grew hot- Fugaku could feel himself break out into sweat- and heady, gravity pulling on them as they staggered around the hall. In front of them, between the samurai and the garden door, an apparition began to form. Orange and black flames swirled into existence, licking the tatami floors and leaving faint burn marks in their wake. The laughing face of a fox with a lolling tongue and eyes a bright pinprick of blue fire appeared before them, baring teeth made of smoke. It let out a laughing bark, one that echoed throughout the entire Castle, before winking out in a single blink.

All that was left was a black spiral, scorched into the floor.

XXX

The procession from the capital, Konoha, to the outlying Uchiha lands was a bit excessive, in Naruto's opinion. He lounged on a comfortable branch of a maple, high above the famous eyes of the Uchiha samurai, and stared down at his prey with interest. His tails, all nine of them, wrapped around his amber body like a comforting blanket, moving constantly around his head like a halo of fire.

Yawning, he stood onto all fours, stretching the way he'd seen the Cat demons do, relishing in the feel of his fur, skin, and bones setting into alignment. He licked his chops as he began to move among the trees, darting from branch to branch as he followed the Uchiha party. The dappled shadows from the forested Hi no Kuni played across his fur and warmed him.

It was a good day to be a kitsune.

In the distance, the sound of men cursing and horses lowing could be heard. Ears flicking towards the sound, he turned to look. From his vantage point, Naruto could see that one of the poles that supported Fugaku's palanquin had snapped, unbalancing the vehicle and dumping him into the gutter. Naruto let out a cough, a guttural rattle in his throat that still managed to sound very much like a human laugh, as Fugaku got to his feet, his robes stained with trash and refuse.

Keh.

This was only the beginning, Naruto promised himself gleefully. No one disrespected his Father, or his Mother, let alone some uppity mortal samurai. Naruto knew he'd stop short of killing the official- he was a being of immense power, but he wasn't quite that bad- but he'd certainly do his best to make Fugaku wish he'd never offended the honor of Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto's tails curled in delight. Pranking always put him in a positive mood- raining misfortune down upon the arrogant was a favorite pastime of his and he hadn't seen anyone as full of himself as Uchiha Fugaku for a long time.

XXX

After two long, laborious weeks through the mountainous backbone that separated Konoha from the traditional Uchiha fief, Uchiha Sasuke could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Below him, his family lands stretched before him like a comforting blanket- familiar and home.

Sasuke would admit that the capitol had its merits. The entertainment, the red light district, the company… he nodded to himself. Konoha had its upsides, but he knew he'd always want to come back to where he grew up and where his family lived.

He took in a sharp breath, savoring the warm breeze that rose from the valley below… and almost fell from his horse when a sharp crack echoed up the pass walls from behind him. He turned around sharply, his hand already on his katana, when he caught sight of the disturbance. Behind him, a chunk of snow had fallen off of one of the high cliffs, half melted from the warmth of spring, disintegrating into powder as it fell like white rain. Sasuke would even admit it looked beautiful…

…until it managed to cover ten men in five feet of snow and mire one of the wagons, rendering it incapable of movement.

Sasuke groaned, scowling at a few of the servants who stood around stupidly, snickering as the regal Uchiha were taken down a peg. "Go on!" he barked, pointing at the snow bank that had so kindly deposited itself on the Uchiha precession. The servants jumped, their faces contorting from amusement to anxiety as they scurried around for shovels.

"Sasuke!" The shout rang, echoing much like the crack of the dislodged snow, up and down the canyon.

Sasuke's face immediately smoothed into an impassive mask, something that didn't falter as he turned. "Chichi-ue?" Sasuke asked, bringing his horse around to face his father. "How can I help you?"

"What is the delay?" Fugaku demanded, his sharp voice causing his stallion to shift nervously. Over the past two weeks, the constant delays and the almost fatal accidents had worn on his face, carving deep lines into his forehead and cheeks. His hair was beginning to grey at the temples, something that only seemed to add to his growing list of worries.

Sasuke gestured to the fallen snow. "The snow melted- it fell onto the caravan."

Fugaku snorted. "Just like the rockslide back at the entrance to the pass and the flood that swept an entire load of supplies away." He scoffed, and for a second, Sasuke could see that disappointment in his Fathers eyes, again.

Itachi could have stopped it, he knew his Father was thinking. Itachi is a genius, a born leader.

Sasuke's fists tightened, frustration mounting as his father whirled his horse away to trot down the mountain path towards the clan complex.

Suddenly, Sasuke wasn't so keen on going home.


End file.
